


Oleander

by Miranda_tries_their_best



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Brotherly Anceit, Deceit's Name is Dante, Dissociation, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Murder, Obsession, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Child Neglect, Pre-Name Reveal because I'm not changing it this far in, Tense Sibling Relationships, They get better tho, This fic isn't that dark, Those are mostly just talked about, Trauma, Unsympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, mentions of animal death, tho its kinda a little dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23841907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miranda_tries_their_best/pseuds/Miranda_tries_their_best
Summary: The last thing Virgil expected was for his husband Logan to call during work hours to tell him that his younger brother showed up at their home looking for help.A brother that Virgil hasn't really spoken to in about seven years. Virgil has always known Dante as someone who held no issue with tearing people down so maybe that's why it's so jarring to see his little brother so subdued and asking for somewhere safe to stay until he can figure out what to do about his ex that may be looking for him.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Unhealthy Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 165
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

Out of all the things Virgil was expecting when answered a call from Logan was not for his husband to immediately ask. "Do you have a brother?" It stuns Virgil into silence for a long moment, long enough for Logan to speak again. "Virgil?"

"Uh, Yeah? I mean- Yeah, I do." He says so eloquently. "I haven't really- we haven't talked in years though, why do you ask?" His brother completely cut off most contact from their family the moment he turned eighteen, it's been seven years since that night and the only reason Virgil knew his brother was still alive is that Dante would passive-aggressively reject any invitations their parents offered to him.

"A man named Dante showed up at our door saying that he needed your help. Patton let him inside when he claimed to be your younger brother." Logan pauses for a moment. "Should I tell him to leave?"

"I don't know, just- Let me think for a moment." Virgil sighs through his nose, rubbing his forehead in hopes of soothing the headache he was already fighting off. Dante isn't the best person, growing up Dante would lie and charm people into getting whatever he wanted. Virgil heard stories of how Dante treated his peers and would intentionally antagonize anyone who talked to him for more than a few minutes, god knows how many times Dante would tear into their parents.

Though apparently Dante had been bullied for years and their parents hadn't noticed until his younger brother had come home with half his face bloodied up from road rash. Virgil loved his parents, they were good people that did everything they could to try and help their son after he was hurt, it didn't change the fact that Dante had already been scarred.

Virgil is guilty too, he'd been in the school and listened to all the shit people said without thinking once that maybe his little brother was the one suffering. His little brother never really did anything against Virgil, besides some misplaced aggression and occasionally telling the older sibling to fuck off but even after the incident, Dante had mostly pretended that Virgil didn't exist when they weren't bickering. It felt like a wall had been placed between them and neither of them really cared enough to break it down at the time.

"If he tries to start anything kick him out but..." Virgil hesitates before getting up from his table. "I'll hear him out, be home soon." If Dante's reaching out then doesn't Virgil have some obligation to help? He knows their parents would want him to but there's something uneasy building in his gut, something that sits heavy like a stone in his stomach as he's driving.

It takes longer to get home the normal, he usually leaves work later and avoids most of the traffic so the dread inside him builds up until he's able to finally pull into his driveway and take a moment to breathe. He counts his breaths, head resting against the steering wheel for a few minutes before he finally works up the nerve to step out of the car and head up the steps. Finally opening the door doesn't relieve any of the stress but the smell of cookies soothes him enough that his hands don't shake as he slips off his shoes and heads into the dining room where he hears voices.

He can't help but chuckle softly when he enters the room to see Patton sitting next to a stranger that would look a lot like himself if he was shorter and grew his hair out long enough to put in a short ponytail(and the side of his cheek discolored from an old scar.) His husband had his phone out and leaning into Dante's personal space to show him pictures of all the dogs he's seen from the vet. It calms his nerves a bit, Dante looking slightly uncomfortable with the proximity but smiling politely and nodding along when Patton tells him the names.

Logan was leaning against the counter watching the two but gazes up when Virgil slips into the room. Virgil tilts his head towards Dante with a questioning glance but Logan only shrugs in reply, just as unsure of the situation as Virgil.

The movement, however, catches his younger brother's eye and causes to notice Logan's gaze and thus turns to look in Virgil's direction. Virgil feels something in his chest freeze, Dante's eyes are tired with faint bags as he hides a nervousness behind a smile that becomes a little tighter. Before they can have a staring contest though, Patton notices him and grins as bright as the sun.

"You're home!" His husband jumps up from his seat and launching himself into Virgil's arms like he does almost every time Virge gets home from work. "I was just showing Dante the animals at the shelter, he loved the picture of Oreo!"

Virgil snorts at that. "That big poodle mix?" He glances at his brother who tactfully looks down at his hands and continues to pretend that he doesn't hate dogs with a passion.

Dante stands from his seat, picking invisible lint off his stupid-looking yellow gloves. "What can I say? He spoke-"

"She." Patton corrects.

"-She spoke to me." He corrected immediately. "Speaking of speaking though, I would like to discuss why I'm here with you Virgil." Dante's gaze nervously flickers between Patton and Logan. "Alone, preferably."

Patton gives Virgil a smile that's not as bright as before and just drips with poorly concealed concern, it does nothing to ease that bubble of dread in Virgil's stomach but at least it doesn't seem like Dante himself is the issue here like he was worried about.

"C'mon Lo," Patton slides across the kitchen to take Logan's arm, leading their husband out of the room. "Let's go check on our tomatoes, I think they're starting to turn red!"

Logan gives Virgil a peak on the forehead as they pass by, one last reassurance before they disappear out of the kitchen to give the brothers some space which Virgil both appreciates and hates because now he's faced with his little brother in a very tense and very awkward silence.

"Your husbands seem sweet, there's a third one right?" Dante finally takes a stab at the ice.

"Yeah, Roman's out of town." Virgil shoves his hands in his hoodie pocket, picking at the seams of the fabric. "He'll be back in a day or two, helping his cousin with a theater play thing."

"Yes, Patton mentioned he runs the local theater. I haven't been there myself but my- um, someone I know goes there often to harass their brother."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

The conversation ends there, both of them avoid each other's gaze. A minute feels like an hour and Virgil already feels stressed from everything.

"Okay." The older sibling sighs. "Not to make you feel unwelcomed or anything but seriously, why are you here?" Dante only does things when he wants something, Virgil's not so naive to think that this is just a friendly visit.

"Right, yes, that." Dante stalls, practically squirming under Virgil's gaze. "I need help." He grits out like it physically pained him to do so. "I need somewhere to stay for a little bit until I can... Figure things out?"

Virgil isn't quite sure how to respond to that, quiet falls over them again. Dante shifts on his feet, his fiddling has moved from his gloves to the edges of his sleeves as he awaits Virgil's judgment.

"I can pay you!" Virgil slightly startles as Dante blurts out. "Money isn't much of an issue! If you need anything, I can provide it. I'm not asking to let me mooch off you. I just need somewhere to stay for a bit until I can work out a better solution. If you don't accept I might have to scoop as low as to go to Mom and Dad but I really don't want to see them, even if I'm not as angry at them anymore."

Dante rambles on as Virgil fails to find an answer. The man in front of him didn't look much different than how he remembers his brother being at eighteen, at least not physically but Virgil remembers a younger boy with harsh words and seething glares. The boy in front of him now is nervous, trying to be placid despite how Virgil can see him clenching his hands.

Virgil finally decided to interrupt Dante before the man reaches a breaking point. "If money isn't an issue then why don't you get a hotel or something?"

Dante pauses at the question, Virgil's watches the younger brother turn from nervous to defensive like a dime. "That's really none of your business."

"It is if you want to stay in my house."

Virgil almost laughs as Dante struggles with himself, he knows the younger man wants to snap but he masterfully shoves it down. Any amusement Virgil had quickly faded when Dante speaks again though.

"I'm not safe." The younger brother runs a gloved hand through his bangs with a sigh, glaring at the floor as his face flushes with humiliation. "My partner- I don't know what he'll do once he realizes I've left and I'm scared he might find me." Each word is carefully pronounced and grit out like Dante would much rather admit murder then vulnerability.

"Oh." The tension drops from Virgil's shoulders as the realization sets in. "Shit, Dante. Are you-" Virgil reaches forward but freezes, hands awkwardly hovering. "Are you hurt? Fuck, no, of course, you can stay."

Virgil immediately is filled with guilt at how Dante's defenses just crumble, it suddenly feels like he was seventeen again and his little brother walks in the door with bloody hands and face. How defeated the boy looked when their parents rushed over to help, a reluctant acceptance that he needs help but the difference between now and then is that Dante actually looks relieved like he wasn't expecting Virgil to help him at all.

"I'm fine." Dante expels his concern with a wave of his hand. "He hasn't done anything to me yet, I just..." The younger brother hesitates to explain. "He did something, that raised like, every single red flag there is." Dante laughs like it's a joke but Virgil catches the tremble in his voice.

"Dude, can I hug you?" Virgil blurts out before he can think too hard, opening his arms a bit while ignoring the heat on the back of his neck.

Dante stares at him with wide eyes, surprised by the offer. "If... If it would make you feel better, I suppose it's fine." His little brother doesn't look at him, looking just as embarrassed as him about it as he steps forward into Virgil's arms.

There's hesitation from both of them, neither of them really knows what their relationship is but Virgil hugs his brother tightly like he used to do when they were kids and actually talked to each other. "I got you, Dante." Virgil mumbles as he feels the way his brother form shakes. He doesn't say anything when Dante raises his arms to hug back, keeping his face buried I'm his older brother's chest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soft Logan wins my heart again, I am weak

It becomes fairly obvious pretty quickly that Dante doesn't sleep much, the tired bags under his eyes give that away. Logan would find it amusing that Dante and Virgil have so much in common if Logan wasn't more concerned then anything.

Logan comes home late one night, staying over hours to make sure everything is done correctly. He didn't mean to come in around three in the morning but he's startled to find Virgil's little bother sitting in the dark living room watching the news with haunted eyes.

At first, he thinks it's Virgil, Logan's more used to finding his husband struggling with insomnia and curling up in the corner of the couch like he can sink into it. A second glance has Logan seeing a much smaller figure then Virgil's and quickly reminds him of their guest. It's a contrast to what Logan has seen of the man until now, Dante always carried his shoulders high and defensive, he had excellent posture compared to his brother's slouching and liked to move elegantly around the room.

Right now, Dante looks more like a child, curled up while hugging his knees and staring at the TV with wide eyes. It's unnerving, it's only been a few days since Logan has even known of Virgil's brother's existence but it doesn't feel right to see him like this. Logan should really go wake up Virgil or Patton but Dante has been keeping Patton at an arms distance and if Virgil's actually asleep then Logan doesn't want to wake him.

"You shouldn't watch television in the dark, it'll strain your eyes."

Dante yelps as he nearly jumps off the couch, wide-eyed and panicked for but a moment before it turns into a harsh glare. "Oh my fucking god, Logan!" The shorter man lets out a breath, gripping the fabric of his shirt over his heart. "Do you make a habit of standing in dark doorways or am I just special?"

"Ah," Logan walks a bit closer, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. "I apologize for scaring you, I had assumed you heard when I returned home." He wasn't particularly loud coming in but he assumed that Dante could have probably heard the door open.

Dante huffs and runs his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit that he seems to do a lot. "The TV was too loud, I suppose."

Logan chooses not to point out that Dante has the television on probably the lowest volume since he can just only just barely make out the murmur of words. "Is there a reason you're still awake?"

"Wanted to check in on the news." Dante reclines back on the couch again though not curling into a ball like before, he looks more relaxed but Logan can see the tension in his shoulders.

"The news is still there in the morning." Logan crosses his legs and leans forward.

"Doesn't Patton like to put on cartoons in the morning?" Dante inspects his nails or would be if he weren't wearing gloves.

"You also have a laptop."

Dante rolls his eyes. "If you don't want me using the TV at night, you can just say so."

"I'm not questioning you because I want to restrict what you watch, I'm questioning you because you're lying." Logan rests his chin on his hands as Dante looks at him with a raised brow and smirks.

"I haven't lied yet, I'm awake and watching the news." Dante meets his eyes and Logan has to admit that cocky is an improvement from poorly hidden nervousness.

"Lie of omission. You're not giving me all the details as to why your awake, I assume it's more than just a desire to watch TV."

"You know what they say about assuming."

Logan laughs softly. "I do but living with Virgil has gotten me used to dealing with deflecting topics. You're very much like Virgil in that regard."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, any amusement Dante had before drops from his expression. "I'm afraid you'll find I'm not as inclined to share anything with you." The shorter takes a deep breath before standing up. "I appreciate you letting me into your home and I'm sure that you genuinely care but Logan, let's not fool ourselves here." Dante gives an empty smile. "I'm sure you know Virgil so well, you know that if I showed up in any other situation that he wouldn't give me the time of day."

Logan knew of Virgil's mistrust for his brother, has listened to his husband mumble about the lying, and the stress his younger sibling constantly loved to put on their parents, how openly disdainful Dante always was against them even after he moved out.

"So if we could just keep this-"

"That's not true." Logan interrupts before the other man could continue. "I believe you're overgeneralizing."

But Virgil also expressed regret on how their relationship turned out, that all the negatives he remembers are well over seven years ago and that Dante even trying to reach out had been something Virgil would never expect from the brother he knew.

"I'm not overgeneralizing. I know Virgil hates me, just because he's too nice to openly reject-"

"There it is." Logan interrupts again, earning an annoyed huff from the younger man. "Virgil doesn't hate you, he never has," Logan speaks softly, all too used to dealing with cognitive distortions. "He's nervous, yes. He doesn't know what sort of relationship he has with you but he's not acting out of pity, you are right to believe that Virgil is too kind to turn you away outright but if he really didn't want you here then he would have found somewhere else for you to stay."

Dante stares at him, searching for any sort of lie in his words. "He... If I wasn't in a bad situation, he still would have turned me away." He speaks carefully but slowly sits down again, leaning on his knees.

"I don't believe that," Logan says bluntly. "If you did just come here to reconnect, I do believe after seeing you be polite with Patton despite your obvious discomfort would have eased his worries enough to give you a chance."

"It wasn't obvious." Dante tries to argue. "Patton's... Nice."

"It's fairly obvious." Logan chuckles a little at Dante's offended scoff. "But I digress, Virgil has been reaching out to you, perhaps a bit hesitantly but he has expressed a desire to build a relationship with you."

Dante glances at the TV, he opens his mouth to speak but shuts it quickly with a click of his teeth. Logan patiently waits as the younger man struggles with his words, looking so similar to Virgil once more. "I never blamed him, y'know? I would lash out at him when he bothered me too much but I never thought he was the reason..." Dante trails off, his hand coming up to brush over his scar. "I don't even hate our parents anymore, I'm still bitter and would rather eat glass than talk to them but now they don't really matter much in my life."

"Virgil had told us not to bring up your parents around you," Logan admits to being curious, from what he's seen of Virgil's parents and his husband's relationship with them, they seem like lovely people so he's not entirely sure what happened to make Dante resent them. "I won't push for any details you don't want to give but none of us will judge you if you choose the share."

"I'll keep that in mind." Dante keeps his gaze to the side, no longer making any sort of eye contact as he seems to lose himself in thought. "Maybe I should... Maybe I'll talk with Virgil."

Logan offers a smile before standing, glancing at the TV for a moment to see the news coverage for another murder that happened on the other side of the city. It shows little of the actual murder but from past reports, Logan can tell that's probably because of their gruesome nature, not exactly the type of thing one should watch before bed. "Try to get some rest, Dante. It's nearly two in the morning."

"Probably won't." Logan just barely hears Dante mumble as he's leaving the room and heading upstairs, he'll have to pay more attention to the man's sleeping habits. This could be a one-time thing as Dante is usually up and moving throughout the day but Logan knows better than to assume the bags under his eyes are just from one night of unrest.

He'll save that for the morning though, it's already way past the time he usually retires and he can't help much if he loses sleep too.

He quickly changes into his sleepwear and crawls into bed, trying to suppress a smile when Patton grumbles in his sleep at the movement.

Logan falls asleep easily while Dante occupies the couch most of the night, only retreating to the guest bedroom to pretend he's slept when the sun starts peeking through the living room curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am outraged, I am livid, I am losing my freaking marbles-
> 
> The first chapter of this fic look me like months to write and a million scrapped versions and fucking
> 
> this chapter and the next one I just mcfreaking do within 24 hours and I'm still going for the fourth chapter like what happened?? how do i make this keep happening??? holy frick


	3. Chapter 3

"Virgil?"

Virgil nearly jumps a foot in the air, clutching at his chest. "Oh my fu-freaking god, Dante!" His heart pounds in his ribcage, the shirt he was folding to put away now crumbled on the floor where he dropped it. "Don't you knock?!" He hisses but it only makes the other man laugh.

"You're door is wide open." His younger brother leans on the door frame with crossed arms. "You probably would have jumped anyway."

The older brother sighs and picks up the shirt off the ground and refolding it. "Are you here for a reason or do you just enjoy torturing my existence?"

"Both, actually. You're like a kitten when you hiss, it's adorable." Dante grins as Virgil sends him a half-hearted glare.

"You're one to talk, shorty. How do you carry that much sass in such a tiny body?" He decides he'll finish putting away the laundry later, kicking the basket at his feet to the side of the bed so he won't forget.

"Wow," Dante clicks his tongue. "Hitting low now, aren't you?"

"There's no other height to hit." Virgil muffles his laugh at the offended look behind his sleeve.

"I can't- how dare you?" Dante clutches his heart, playing up the hurt in his voice while trying to fight back a smile. "Mine own brother? I come to you for some patented big brother advice and you just attack me like this? How can I ever trust again?!"

Virgil rolls his eyes. "You and Roman together are going to be a nightmare." He mutters before climbing onto his bed, sitting with his legs crossed and patting the space next to him. "I'm shit at advice but I'll help if can."

Dante no longer needs to hide his smile as his face drops. "Ah, I was hoping to stall a bit longer." The younger brother softly closes the door behind him before coming to sit at the edge of the bed a good distance away from Virgil.

Virgil watches Dante pick at his gloves nervously. "If you want, we can talk about your weird thing for dishes instead." He smiles a bit as the man scoffs.

"I don't have a thing for dishes. I clean when I'm stressed and the dishes are the only thing Patton won't fight me for doing."

"You know we have a dishwasher, right?" Virgil could understand needing to do something to distract himself but dishes? Who wants to do dishes? "Is that why you wear fucking dishwashing gloves all the time?"

"Excuse you." Dante holds his hand up, shoving those bright yellow gloves in his face. "Do these look rubber to you? No. They're cotton and I would never damage them like that."

"So what, you robbed a Butler?" Virgil says as he smacks the offending hand away from his face. "Where do you even get gloves that offensively yellow?"

"They're a wonderful yellow and they were a gift from-" Dante stops mid-sentence, pulling his hands back and keeping them close to his chest. He doesn't need to say who for Virgil to know. "I... I'm going to have to get rid of them, I suppose."

Whatever mood they had going drops like a ton of bricks. Dante keeps his eyes forward and expression schooled, barely moving when Virgil scoots forward on the bed to be closer. "Wanna talk about it?"

Dante finally spares Virgil a glance and softens his expression before turning his head to face to opposite way. "They were supposed to be our one year anniversary gift but he gave them to me two months early." Virgil can make out the small smile his brother has. "I was still wearing those old leather gloves I had and they were wearing thin after so long," Virgil remembers those, there was a rumor that Dante stole them from one of the kids at school but no one ever did anything about it. "He was so excited to give them to me, made them himself. He didn't last a week before he caved in and made me try them on." The younger brother laughs softly. "Apparently he made three pairs, just in case it was the wrong shade of yellow. It was perfect though and we burnt the other two as a 'sacrifice'"

Virgil snickers at that. "Sounds fun."

"It was, I've never had someone put so much effort to make me happy before." The smile Dante becomes sadder. "He was everything to me, Virgil. He still is, I-" Virgil watches helplessly as Dante curls in on himself, hiding his face in his hands. "Maybe I misunderstood and left too hastily? He's never done anything to hurt me, maybe he- what if he just didn't-" Dante looks at Virgil from behind his fingers and Virgil remembers the six year old that snuck into his room after a nightmare, wanting to hide and looking at Virgil like he had all the answers.

Virgil remembers being annoyed at being woken up but opening up his arms for his little brother to crawl into bed with him. He remembers mom and dad getting mad at Dante for waking him up when they found them together, Virgil can't remember if Dante ever came to him after a nightmare again.

Virgil lets out a breath. "Okay. I don't know what happened but it obviously scared you enough that you thought he might hurt you, right?" Dante nods. "Then you have a right to be scared. It doesn't matter if he was never abusive or toxic before, if you don't feel safe with him then you did the right thing by getting out of that situation."

Dante slowly lifts his head and lowers his hands onto his lap "I don't want to lose him, I don't have anyone else." His words are barely above a whisper like he's admitting to some kind of crime. "I feel like I'm going to lose everything no matter what I choose to do so I'm too afraid to make any choice."

Virgil isn't sure what to say to that, he doesn't know the situation and knows that he probably won't get an answer if he asks. So the older brother moves closer to Dante and hesitantly reaches out to him, giving him to move away if wants. Dante doesn't move though, even leaning into him as Virgil drags him into a bit of an awkward angled hug.

"I don't remember you being so huggy." Dante murmurs and shifts a bit to actually face his brother and return the hug.

"I don't remember you not being a dick." Virgil shoots back with no bite.

"That's fair, I was angry and blamed everything for anything." Virgil feels the smaller man squeeze his arms around him. "I'm sorry I took some of it out on you."

"I'm sorry I didn't care enough to try to understand." Virgil sighs and rests his chin on his little brother's head. "It's okay to miss him, even if you decide to hate him for whatever he did you can still miss the person that hurt you. You're not going to lose everything though, I think we kinda have this bonding thing going on so you're stuck with me and I'm pretty sure Patton adopted you the moment you set foot in the door so... Yeah, you have a few things to fall back on."

Dante shakes with a weak laugh, though Virgil doesn't call out how he still continues to tremble after. "I must look very pathetic right now, I feel like a child."

"Don't make me get Logan, I've had to sit through so many lectures about how vulnerability is a strength and that I should rely on people."

"God, no." Dante snickers. "He already called me out on distortions or whatever, I barely got away with my life."

"Yeah, he mentioned something about you not sleeping much too." Virgil snorts with amusement. "Welcome to the insomnia club, you can come bug me at like four AM if you want. You can wake me up if you want, Logan can fall back asleep in like fifteen minutes like a freak and Patton, and eventually, Roman when he gets home, sleep like rocks so you don't gotta worry about it."

"I'm not sure you should be encouraging my sleeping poor habits, what would Logan say?" Dante leans back a bit, eyes looking slightly watery but he seems to be fighting back tears well enough though the shaky grip he keeps on Virgil's sweater gives him away.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him, I'm usually just laying in bed bored anyway." Virgil gives a small shrug. "Sucks being awake and alone."

Dante nods in agreement and silence washes over them again. The tense quiet seems to come a lot when it's just to the two of them talking but this time the air around them is a little lighter than before.

"Thank you, Virge." Dante finally says. "I really appreciate that you... That-" He struggles with his words until Virgil tugs him back into a hug.

"Yeah, I get it. It's no problem, little man-ack!" Virgil jerks back as Dante jabs him in the stomach.

"One more height joke and I'll set your house on fire."

"Jeez, someone has a short temper- Wait- Hey, ow!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was gonna make ya'll wait until tomorrow to post this but I have no patients and live off praise so like
> 
> Roman will finally come home next chapter so that'll be a grand time :3c


	4. Chapter 4

Roman ended up staying a little longer than intended, he wanted to rush home right away after being told estranged younger brother showed up out of nowhere seeking sanctuary from their ex and from the picture Patton sent him, Dante looked like a short version of Virgil and Roman really wanted to see that in person.

But his little cousin Thomas is so sweet and nervous and asked Roman to stay long enough to see his show, with Virgil assuring him that they have the situation handled so it was fine too, how could Roman not give in to those puppy dog eyes?

It was incredible! Thomas is an amazing actor and got a much needed confidence boost by Roman being there to cheer him on!

But the actor is rather glad to be coming home to his beloveds, he's missed his own bed and his darling's cuddles and homemade dinners.

So Roman comes over after a long two weeks and doesn't hesitate to rush into his castle. "Your prince has returned!" He calls out through the house as he slips off his shoes and pads his way further into the house.

"Roman!" He doesn't have to wait long before Patton is rushing at him and without hesitation, he catches his husband in a tight hug. "I missed you!"

Roman can only grin as he's forced to lean down to be smothered by his heart's kisses. "Okay, okay, Love!" He laughs after he manages to catch a few of those kisses with his lips. "Leave some for the rest of our princes."

"Eh, he can keep you." Virgil emerges from the other room, coming close enough for Roman to grasp his hand and bring it up to his lips which would be a much sweeter gesture if Patton wasn't practically hanging off his neck but Roman can hardly complain when Virgil comes close enough to lean on him, not as clingy has his heart but Roman's ecstatic to be so close to his husbands again.

"Where's our nerd? I promised to sweep him off his feet the moment I saw him." Logan had very much told Roman not to do that but Roman would like to see him try to stop him, he's going hold that nerd whether he likes it or not(although Roman knows Logan loves it despite his embarrassment about it.)

"He's out weeding the garden with Dante." Patton chirps up. "Ohh! You have to meet Dante, Roman! He's so cute!" The man bounces on his feet excitedly.

"Ugh, don't call him cute. It's weird." Virgil rumbles but Roman easily ignores him.

"Is he really a tiny Virgil?!" Roman one hundred percent ready to adopt a mini Virgil and from Patton's spam texts, it seems like his heart already has.

"He's so small! I wanna squeeze him!" Patton squeals but quickly calms himself down and puts on a serious face. "But we can't do that, he doesn't like to be touched much without warning."

"He's five foot three of pure spite." Virgil adds as Roman nods solemnly.

"I will endeavor to respect his personal space and-" Before Roman can start his monologue the door to the backyard opens for two figures coming in through it. "Logan!" Roman immediately recognizes his lovely nerd and is so overwhelmed with the euphoria of seeing his final husband after so long that he barely cares to even acknowledge the second man that comes in behind him.

But Roman is not completely blind.

Patton releases his hold around Roman's neck and the man can't hold himself back from rushing to his darling Logan, fully intending to make due on his promise. Logan smiles at him fondly and accepts his fate but everything freezes with a choked off scream.

Roman stops several feet away as he meets the terrified eyes of whom he assumes to Virgil's little brother.

Roman is confused beyond measure but doesn't dare move any closer, none of his loves seem to know what to do until Dante himself gasps and struggles to breathe. It's a jump start for the smaller man, stumbling back against the door as he clutches at his chest with gloved hands.

Sunshine yellow gloves that he helped Remus make.

"Oh." Roman only remembers them because they were hell to sew and Remus demanded at least three of them just in case.

There's movement from Logan, likely trying to assist Dante in breathing but it sets the man off and Suddenly he's gone. He dashes past Roman and up the stairs, the thudding of footsteps followed by the slam of a door.

"I...think that's Dainty," Roman says numbly as he looks at the stairs, Remus has a bad habit of never using people's names. "Like, Remus's Dainty." Roman had honestly forgotten that Dainty probably wasn't his brother's boyfriend's actual name.

Virgil lets out a growl of a curse and ascends of the stairs, Roman tries to follow but Patton is on his arm again and tugging him towards the living room.

"Let's give them some time." Patton's voice is gentle but Roman can't process is.

"No, wait, no!" He can't believe this. "You told me he came here to hide from his boyfriend! He just ditched Remus!" Roman can understand that Remus can be a bit weird, he knows that better than anyone but to just completely abandon him. "He said he was escaping his abusive ex! Remus is creepy sometimes but he'd never hurt him!"

"Ro, honey, let's take a breath-" Patton tries his best to soothe the anger but Roman shakes his arm out of his grip.

"No! Virgil already told us his brother is a liar, I will not some guy we've never even heard of before now coming in and claiming-"

"Roman!" Logan's voice suddenly cuts through the air like a knife. "Sit on the couch and calm down!" He demands, pointing to the couch like he's directing an unruly dog. Roman still listens though, despite the anger he flops back on the couch, all too grumpy that his loving reunion was messed up by some nobody wearing annoying gloves.

Eventually, he does calm the fire under his skin. "Okay, I'm calm." It's hard not to when Patton snuggles up against his side and holds his hand.

"Good," Logan says curtly before taking a seat on the far end of the couch. "Dante never claimed that Remus is abusive. He said that his boyfriend scared him and that he needed to get away from him to figure out what to do. Knowing Remus the way you do, do you think that Remus couldn't have accidentally scared him?"

"I guess." That still buzzed in the back of his head like angry hornets. Remus had ranted to him hundreds of times about how this Dainty always embraced his unnerving ways and rolled with his intrusive thoughts without issue. Roman was really happy his brother had found someone, even if his twin never actually offered to introduce them in the years they've been dating. "He... Maybe pushed something too far without realizing it."

Patton gives him that sweet smile that has him melting a little more. "If Dante doesn't feel safe in his situation then he has a right to want to leave it."

Roman huffs. "You didn't have to listen to Remus's poetry, Pat. He's head over heels for the guy, he wouldn't hurt him."

"That's not our place to judge." Patton sits up a bit to look Roman in the eyes. "You want to protect Remus and that's really sweet of you, honey bee but Virgil wants to protect his brother too."

"A brother he's never even mentioned before." He grumbles but sinks back into the couch, accepting the fact that this might be a bit more complicated than he understands.

"A brother he's rebuilding a bond with."Logan cuts in. "If we make Dante feel unsafe here then Virgil might lose this."

Roman takes a deep breath and lets out a long sigh. "Fine. I get it. I'm not dropping this though, as soon as that mini Virgil calms down I have some questions."

"That you'll ask gently." Logan sends him a pointed look.

"Yes, gently. Daintily even." That earns a small giggle from his heart which makes Roman a little less bitter.

"Maybe let's not call him Dainty though." Patton added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to switch off perspectives halfway but then Roman continued on so Dante's panic attack will have to be in the next chapter rip


	5. Chapter 5

Dante's heart stops beating, his lungs refuse to take in air, his skin heats up like he's been set on fire but his blood is frozen as Remus stands in front of him.

No, no, it's not Remus. His skin is too healthy, he has the weight on him that Remus struggles to keep, eyes too warm, just a second ago he was smiling like the sun with no hint of derangement that Dante both loves and fears.

All Dante can think about it the smell of copper and rotting meat left for days in the sun when he looks at the man that shares a face with his love. Remus has a brother, a twin. His brain helpfully supplies that Virgil's husband owns the theater that Remus visits to see his brother, Virgil's husband is Remus's brother.

Something moves in his peripheral and Dante runs, startled into stumbling up the stairs and ducking into the bathroom. It's the only room with a lock on the door, a useless lock that can be opened from the outside with something as thin a nickel but it's some kind of barrier at least. He ends up with his back pressed against the bathtub, staring at the door and just waiting for it to be torn open.

_It smells horrible. "Isn't she beautiful?" It makes his eyes water but Remus is just smiling so softly at him, looking proud of his work._

_"I love it." Dante lies, too scared to say anything else_.

Dante's lungs burn with the need to breathe but every gasp for air comes out too quickly and with pathetic noises that he tries to hide behind his hand. There's a quiet knocking on the door and everything in Dante freezes, his harsh gasps turn silent and raspy.

What is Remus going to do with him once he found him? He should have gone to the police the moment he was left alone but no, Dante is stupid and lonely and a coward and-

"-et me in, buddy." A voice comes through the door, deeper and more gravelly then Remus. "I won't force myself in so you gotta unlock the door for me, okay? Whenever you're ready."

Dante can barely move, just covering his mouth has his hands shaking with strain. Virgil's on the other side of the door, waiting for him but he doesn't know if he can do it.

"Can you hear me? Dante, I'm right here. Just focus on the tapping, alright?" His brother coaxes through the door, tapping on the wood in a pattern. "Try to breathe in time to it, in and out."

Dante lets his hands drop to his side and listens, it's hard to breathe out when it feels like there's no oxygen coming in but he tries to trust his brother and sucks in sharp breaths for four taps and chokes out air for five until it starts coming a little more natural to him. His chest still feels like it's being crushed and he has to focus on his breathing least he stops again but Dante manages to push forward enough to unlock the door.

Virgil slowly opens the door, giving Dante enough time to hastily scrub at his face with the sleeve of his shirt to try and save his appearance but the tears keep coming despite his wishes. "Fuck." Dante chokes out when Virgil enters and shuts the door behind him.

"Fuck indeed." Virgil kneels in front of him. "Keep breathing, okay?"

What does it look fucking look like he's doing? Dante wants to spit out but the words are stuck in his throat so he just nods.

"Is it cool if I touch you? Just your back." Virgil asks, Dante only gives a short nod and his brother is sitting next to him with his hand on his back, rubbing circles between his shoulder blades to help soothe him. "It's okay, I panicked the first time I saw Roman's face too. He has that effect on people."

Dante laughs a little at that though it's pathetically quiet. "Can't- I can't fucking believe-" He pauses long enough to wipe the tears from his eyes and take a deep breath. "I can't believe you're the emo boy toy." Remus had to have known, the man likes to play stupid but there's no way that he didn't realize who Virgil is. Dante once thought Remus was terrible at lying but now he could only question how many things were hidden from him.

"Ugh, yeah. Remus though?" Virgil asks incredulously. "You could do way better than that, dude."

"No." Dante knows that it's meant to be a joke but it hits hard in ways he doesn't understand. "I really can't." His voice cracks and he slouches forward to hide his face in his hands. Dante isn't like Virgil, he doesn't have loving husbands or their parent's support, any people that have tolerated him enough to potentially be friends often get scared away by Remus before anything comes of it.

"That... We'll unpack that comment later." Virgil pats Dante's back while his other hand taps nervously on his knee.

He honestly didn't even expect Virgil to care. Dante expected to endure awkward tension until he worked through whatever shock he's in long enough to make a plan and disappear as suddenly as he arrived but Virgil didn't ignore his presence, his brother keeps talking to him and trying to draw him out and his husband's welcomed him for the most part.

It was nice, Dante could pretend that what Remus showed him wasn't actually real as long as he didn't try to sleep. That didn't work out though, now Dante's sitting on the bathrooms floor with his brother trying to ease his breathing. "I hate panic attacks." He says pitifully, already feeling the exhaustion and aches weighing him down.

"You get them often?" Virgil asks as he settles into a more comfortable position, figuring they'll probably be in here for a bit.

"Got them a lot in high school." Dante takes a deep breath, enjoying how breathing is a bit less hard than before. "Didn't know what they were until I tried to tell Mom about them. I guess I described it similar to how you did because she thought I was copying you for attention."

"Oh." Virgil's hand freezes on his back. "She... She did that?"

Of course, why would his brother have noticed? "They did that a lot." Dante raises his chin to rest on his hands, finally turning his head to look at his brother. "You think I didn't try to tell them about what was going on before I got hurt?" He scoffs bitterly. "As soon as you were diagnosed with anxiety everything I tried to tell them was either lying for attention or not serious enough to do anything about."

Virgil is quiet for a long moment and Dante watches his expression shift from shock into guilt. "I- fuck, I'm sorry." Virgil reaches his other hand towards him but hesitates and pulls back. "I didn't know-"

"It's not your fault," Dante says curtly, turning his gaze to glare at the wall. "Mom and Dad are the ones that ignored a scared child because I didn't act as scared as you did." He growls out. "They're the ones that picked favorites and only started caring once they could physically-" Dante gestures to the scars on his face. "- see it."

"Shit, I-" Dante feels weight against his shoulder as Virgil leans on his shoulder. "How many times did I blow you off though? God, I don't..." Virgil chokes on his words. "I don't know how many times I saw you alone and just didn't care."

Dante takes a moment to school his emotions, tilting his head to lean it on his brothers. "The difference there, Virgil, is that you were a kid too. You're only two years older than me, dumbass. It wasn't your job to worry about me and I often snapped at you when you did. I'm blaming the adults in this situation, whether Mom and Dad realized it or not."

Virgil gives a slight hesitant nod. "Still probably going to blame myself but yeah, I just... I wish I noticed."

Dante huffs and picks at his gloves, yellow fabric hiding the scars on his hands. "I sometimes blame myself too, a little." He admits in a hushed tone. "I wonder if maybe if I pushed harder to make them believe me or if I didn't act out as much at school that they might have been more willing to listen. I don't know if you remember but I did copy you a lot when we were kids." He pauses as Virgil makes a humming noise to acknowledge it. "I use to think you were really cool until I was, what? Ten? Then I realized what a loser you were."

Virgil huffs in amusement "I always knew you were a loser."

Dante chooses to graciously ignore that comment. "It's fine if you feel bad but don't..." He sighs. "If it makes you feel any better, you're helping a lot now."

"A few years too late." His brother mutters under his breath.

"It doesn't feel too late for me." Dante tilts his head back to fight the tears trying to resurface. "You didn't need to be here."

"No, I did," Virgil says so resolutely that it shakes Dante to his core. "I absolutely needed to be here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I imagine if Dante's and Virge's Parents didn't realize they were playing favorites and how they fucked up so bad and i think if Dante told them that it would be a lot of tearful apologies.
> 
> I doubt I'm gonna touch on that in this fic but it would probably go along the lines of them being sorry and Dante just being like "Cool, I'm glad you recognize your mistakes." and just leaves because even if you know whoever hurt you isn't a bad person and genuinely regrets it, you don't owe them shit and Dante doesn't need to reopen those wounds, thanks. Maybe he can let go of some of that bitterness towards them and be on speaking terms with them and maybe even reconnect with other family members that he misses but I think it's a much better story if he never really forgives them
> 
> I also love the contrast of how mature Deceit is in this story compared to my other story Symbiotic, like Durus is a self-destructive mess that sabotages any relationship he makes but Dante (while he has his own deep-seated issues that'll become much more apparent when Remus shows up) has probably been to therapy and recognizes the issues he has and is open to being a bit vulnerable with Virgil


	6. Chapter 6

Dante got out of confronting Roman the following night by claiming that he needed to take a nap after his attack and just not coming out of his room for the following evening. Virgil had brought supper up to the guest room for him despite Logan's "No eating in the bedroom" rule and returned to quietly eat with the rest of them at the table.

Virgil had hissed at Roman when he tried to both Dante, making everyone promise to leave his brother alone while he was hiding in his room.

Patton can't express how glad he is when Dante comes down in the morning acting normal if not a bit more tired. He can't help but feel like despite Dante's claims to taking a nap that the kiddo didn't actually sleep much, this is the first night that Dante didn't spend on the couch watching the news but Patton saw light from under the man's door when he got up to get some water around one in the morning.

It was nice and peaceful, Logan had already head out for work and Patton chatting away to Dante. The shorter man didn't talk much, he seemed content to let Patton fill the silence not that Patton minded at all.

But then Roman came downstairs and immediately a tension fills the air, Dante becomes uneasy where he sits and Roman(after greeting Patton with a kiss) looks ready to interrogate the poor man.

"So, what happened?" Roman asks not as gently as he promised the day before.

Dante's eyes sharpen as he smirks, a gloved hand coming to touch the large scar on his cheek. "How rude of you to ask."

Patton could almost giggle at the look of panic on Roman's face. "I didn't mean-!" Unfortunately, it hardens again too quickly. "I meant what made you leave Remus?"

"Oh, that." The shorter man seems to think it over while looking at his hands like he could see his nails through his gloves. "Yeah, no, I don't think that's any of your business."

"Of course it's my business!" Roman stands and slams a fist on the table.

"Roman." Patton tries to warn but is ultimately ignored.

"He's my brother! I understand he can get... Yeah." Roman so elegantly puts. "But he's a good person! Whatever he did was probably just an accident-"

Roman's cut off by Dante's scoff. "Maybe you don't know your brother as well as you thought." He hisses out. "There's no way he just accidentally-" He cuts himself off there, eyes going glossy for a moment before they harden into a glare. "I don't owe you an explanation."

Roman took a deep breath to calm himself. "Okay, fine. Maybe it's not my business but he's worried about you, doesn't he deserves some sort of-"

"Shopping!" Patton interrupts suddenly, trying to stop that train wreck before it catches on fire. It works too, as both Roman and Dante look at him in confusion. "You don't have nearly enough clothes with you, mister." Patton playfully wags his finger at the younger man. "We really need to get you some more!"

"Patton, I'm trying to-"

"That's a brilliant idea, Patton!" Dante immediately recognizes the distraction for what it is and Patton smiles as he doesn't miss the relief in the kiddo's eyes. "I was in such a rush that I only really grabbed my work clothing."

"Well, we better get going before the stores _clothe_!" Patton continues as he sees Roman try to speak again. "Why don't you go warm up the car for your old man? Keys are next to the door, the ones with the cat keychain."

"Never call yourself my "old man" again," Dante says in a cheery voice before rushing out of the room to go warm up the car, not that he really needs considering the warm weather but Patton's happy to offer an out to the man before this mess gets dirt.

Speaking of out. "Roman Elizabeth Prince!" Patton faces his husband with his hands on his hips. "I'm disappointed in you!"

Roman winces slightly before sitting back in his seat. "I was just-"

"Was just pressuring someone to do something they're not ready for!" Patton huffs at Roman's guilty expression. "I'm sure that Remus just made a mistake, Ro." He calms slightly, stepping forward to take his husband's hand in his. "But trying to push Dante before he's ready might only ruin push them apart. I know you want Remus happy but we can't hurt Dante to make it happen, okay?"

Patton gives a soft smile as Roman gives him those sweet sad eyes. "I called Remus last night, Pat. I didn't tell him Dante was here or anything-" Roman rushes to assure that last part at the dubious look Patton gives. "But he's so worried about him. He got fired again because he's been too busy looking for Dante to show up for work."

Patton let's out a sigh and leans forward to rest his head on Roman's shoulder. That would be Remus's fourth job this year lost to the man's struggle to hold onto any sort of employment. "Maybe we can ask if the kiddo would be alright with us telling Remus he's safe, at the very least." Of course, they need permission before Patton even thinks about doing it but it might calm Remus down enough to calm Roman down.

Roman lets out a long sigh as he stands from his seat to wrap Patton in a tight hug. "I don't like this." He murmurs his husband's hair. "Remus never had a relationship last for more than a month before Dainty, it'll crush him to lose this."

"I know, sweetie pie." Roman is a knight prepared to charge into action at any moment and this situation calls for him to be a more supportive role, endlessly frustrating the poor man. "Maybe you should go see Remus tonight? I'll make some gingerbread men for you to give him so he can bite off their heads."

Patton smiles at the way Roman laughs. "Yes, he'll love that and I will do my best to support him!"

"You have to apologize to Dante too."

"What?" Roman whines and drops his arms. "But-" The taller man lets out a huff. "No, you're right. I was pushy and insensitive." He grumbles and dramatically throws himself back into his seat.

Patton giggles as he leans over his prince to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'm very proud of you for admitting that, you can say sorry once we get back from the mall."

The drive to the mall is a little tense, Dante only gave him a small greeting when he arrived at the car before falling quiet again and staring out the window with unfocused eyes. The radio plays quietly but does little to ease how heavy the silence feels.

Finally, Patton has enough. He kept quiet while he drove but when it stretches on to inside the mall, he gets worried. "What's going on in that head of yours, Dee?"

Dante continues walking, barely pausing to glance at him. "Nothing I want to talk about."

"I'm sorry about Roman." He tries.

"Last I checked, you're not Roman's keeper." The man offers him a small smile before entering a store and Patton has a giggle as it's the same one Logan likes to go to, full of fancy button-ups and suits.

"I know these clothes _suit_ you but I was hoping to get you something you can relax in." All Patton has seen Dante in is dress clothes since the first day he arrived, Patton couldn't be sure the man didn't sleep in a blazer.

"This is what I relax in." Dante says pointedly and glaring when Patton laughs again.

"Okay, okay. You can get one outfit but then we're getting you some variety, kiddo. What do you wear when you're not dressing up?"

"I-" Patton watches Dante's face turn red and sharply turns on his heel, becoming suddenly very interested in the shirts on display. "I don't think Remus is going to let me take some of his shirts any time soon."

"Ah," Patton laughs uncomfortably. "That would be pretty awkward. We can find you some big comfy clothes for you though! It'll be fun!"

"Fun."

It's the ride back that Patton finally gets something, the back seat carrying two bags of clothes that Patton mostly picked out and Dante didn't immediately reject. (Though Patton did manage to sneak buy a black T-shirt with sunflowers that Dante was not very subtly eyeing up and angrily ignoring when he asked if the man wanted it.)

"Hypothetical question." Dante breaks the silence suddenly, reaching over to turn down the music.

"Hypothetical answer!" He shoots back with a smile. "Whatcha need, kiddo?" Patton can't really turn to look at the man as he has to keep his eyes on the road but he can just feel the hesitation.

"Let's say that you love someone very much, they're the first person that really gave you a chance and they've been by your side no matter how hard you pushed them away." Patton gives a slight nod at Dante's explanation, having a good feeling he knows where this is going. "So you've been together a long time and it's amazing but then they-" Dante's voice cracks slightly and he stops talking.

"Take your time, Dee." Patton assures softly and reaches over with one hand, smiling when he feels a gloved hand take it.

"He- they show-" He struggles. "They did something very bad and it scares you, what- what would you do?"

Patton hums, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel with the hand that isn't being held. "That's a toughie. I guess it really depends on what they did." He prompts but after a few moments of silence he speaks again. "Does it involve other people or is it just me and them?"

"It involves others."

Patton gives Dante's hand a small squeeze. "Are people being hurt?"

"Yes."

Patton inhales and blows a raspberry with his lips. "Is it illegal?"

Dante gives a humorless snicker. "Very."

"I suppose the right thing to do would be to contact the police." Patton's almost glad he's driving, able to focus on the road instead of just giving in to his feelings. "But you said I love them very much, hm?" He can just barely make out a small nod from the man in the passenger seat. He tries to imagine it as Roman, even if his prince did something terrible it would be hard not to love him. "So turning them in probably feels like a betrayal."

"It does, yes," Dante says quietly. "They're the one that made you feel like the world wasn't trying to crush you, like you weren't completely alone in the dark."

"Is there any way to help them out of this situation?" Patton can imagine all sorts of things that Remus may have gotten involved in, things that may have accidentally dragged Dante in with him.

"I don't know, maybe?" Dante lets out a sigh. "Maybe you could convince him but you can't just- even if he says he'll stop it won't undo what he did. How can I live knowing that I just swept it under the rug because I'm too selfish to lose him?" Patton turns the car onto a less busy road and flicks on his hazard lights as he pulls over. "How can I trust that he won't just do it again and hide it better? How do I know that he won't just turn around one day and-"

Dante cuts off with a choked noise as Patton wraps his arms around him. "Oh, kiddo." The angle is awkward, Patton's still half in his seat and Dante's seatbelt keeping the man from being pulled closer but Dante practically goes limp in his arms. "I don't want to assume the worse here but this doesn't sound like a situation you can compromise with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's weird writing a fic that is like actually planned out like normally I wing things but I actually went into this one with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted and now I can actually see how this is working towards the ending
> 
> Like Selfish Creatures? Got the start and Ending planned but everything in the middle is a ???  
> Symbiotic? It's a cool concept and tbh I don't know where it's going tbh I'm just torturing Dee  
> Rose-tinted Eyes? Also a concept I ran away with tho I do have a vague ending and plot planned
> 
> Anyway, I gotta add Mentions of Animal Death to the tags for the next chapter.   
> Hope you're ready to see Remus :3c


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this earlier but the video just like slapped me in the face
> 
> *stares longingly at the name 'Dante'* It's our final ride, buddy

Roman hasn't actually been in Remus's house for more than a few moments, as strange as that sounds. Sure, he knew the address and sometimes pick him up from the place but Remus never really let him inside long before shoving him out.

Roman never really thought much of it before, Remus has always been weird and on the move but now it does raise a few questions now that he knows who Dainty is. There's no way his twin didn't know Virgil and Dante are brothers, even if Remus is kind of an idiot he would have at least commented on how similar they look or make some gross joke about them having the same boyfriend.

Apparently there was some unspoken rule to never speak about Dante as any sort of sibling since Virgil, Virgil's parents, and family, and even Remus just never mentioned this super important fact. Roman can briefly remember Virgil sending out an invite to their wedding that may have had the name Dante on it but Virgil had brushed off any questions by just saying. "He's probably not gonna come anyway."

Patton and Logan seem to be rolling with the sudden appearance of Dante just fine but he supposes they got to meet him without a panic attack because of his twin.

Roman lets out a long sigh as he arrives at Remus's place, he doesn't bother to knock since his twin already knows he's coming and instead just walks in. He half expects to be immediately shoved out again, Remus declaring that they're going to do whatever at a different place but he gets no such greeting.

"Brother!" He shouts his arrival. "I have come bearing gifts from my darling Patton for you!" He gently shakes the plate of cookies he holds though it's sealed with plastic wrap so it doesn't make much noise.

"Living room." Roman hears a muffled voice call out and makes his way forward, only pausing to smile at the paintings on the wall. He didn't enjoy the bloody scenes depicted in the artwork at all but he's glad that his brother found a place to display it without judgment.

He continues on to find the living room, his brother sitting upside down on the couch and staring blankly at the turned off TV. "Hey, buddy," Roman says softly before coming to sit down beside his brother. "Patton made you gingerbread men for you to bite the heads off, I gave them red scarfs so you can pretend its blood."

"Could just put real blood on them," Remus mumbles to himself. "Just put them wherever. I'll eat 'em later."

Roman nods and sets the plate aside on the coffee table in front of them, it was covered in takeout containers and other junk around the couch which is a stark contrast to how clean the rest of the house seems to be. "I take it you're not handling this well, huh?"

"No shit." Remus finally looks at him before pulling himself up and flipping himself around to sit mostly upright. "Just- Just up and left! I thought-" Remus bites his own hand, near growling as he glares at the floor.

"Okay, let's not-" Roman reaches forward to grab his brother's wrist, prying his hand away before Remus could hurt himself. "You'll figure it out, I'm sure he'll come around and I'll be here if he doesn't."

"He has to come around, Roman!" Remus cries out, wiping his head to look at him. "I need him, he's-" Remus chokes up, eyes wide and desperate as he tries to find words. "Ro, you don't understand. I feel like- like my heart is being crushed into a paste, I can't breathe without him- I'll die!"

Roman has never seen this is Remus before. "Hey, hey, no. Rems, it's-" Remus has dated more people than Roman cares to count but his brother barely cared about breakups, no matter how messy. "It's not the end of the world, okay?" He gently pulls his brother into a hug, trying to pull back on all the times Remus has helped him. "I got you, Mom and Ma have you too, Virge might be a bit busy with Dante but you know my loves will help you too-"

Roman doesn't miss the way Remus immediately tenses in his arms. "He's with you?" His twin asks in a whisper, Roman's sure he wouldn't have heard it.

"Shit, uh... Maybe?" Roman wasn't supposed to say anything. "He asked Virgil to stay with us, turns out they're brothers?" Patton's going to kill him when he finds out, he was supposed to ask Dante first.

Remus sits up suddenly, shoving Roman away as he stands. "He's not- But Dainty hates his family!" He exclaims as he circles around the couch. "He shouldn't be there."

"Remus, what are you doing?" Roman quickly gets up to follow.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Remus grabs a discarded hoodie from the ground, stomping his way towards the door. "I'm going to get my fucking boyfriend."

"Oh no, you aren't!" Roman rushes forward and grabs his brother's arm. "Remus, sit back down." Roman almost withers under the scathing look Remus gives him, his twin looks almost feral with how he bares his teeth but Roman holds strong. "Rems, whatever happened, it scared him." He tries to explain as calmly as possible. "Scared enough that he had a panic attack because he thought I was you when he saw me. I don't think bursting in to grab him is going to help your case."

Remus expression drops as Roman's words sink in. "He's scared of me?" He asks in such a small voice. "No, no... Nonononono." Roman lets go of his twin's arm this time when he pulls away. "No, I didn't mean to scare him!"

"Hey, it's okay-"

"Of course, fuck, of course, it scared him." Remus berates himself. "Bitch can't even watch horror movies, why'd I think The Bird wouldn't scare him?!"

"Remus, calm down."

"No! He knows I wouldn't hurt him, right? It was just a bit more real than most of my art, he doesn't think I'd do that to him, right?" Remus looks at him desperately but Roman feels dread in his gut.

"Oh god, Rems. Please tell me you aren't killing animals again?" Roman watches his brother snap his mouth shut and lets out a long sigh. "Remus."

"It's just for art, I needed something with a bit more-" Remus clenches and relaxes his hands. "Squish."

"Remus!" Roman snaps. "Oh my goodness gracious, I thought you were over this!"

"It doesn't matter, no one's gonna miss a few dumb-"

"No! That's not the point and you know that!" It's no wonder that Dante got so freaked out. "You can't just kill things, Remus." Roman sighs and rubs his eyes, trying to repress all the memories of poor creatures Remus showed him when they were kids.

Remus has always had this thing with empathy, didn't always understand that he was playing too rough or that pain wasn't a joke but their moms got him therapy when he started his "art" with animals, they worked on his behavior and he had gotten better. Roman really thought that all that was in the past, he knew Remus still struggled with those thoughts but Roman just...

"Look," Roman claps his hands on his brother's shoulders. "I'll talk with Dante. I'll explain things and you call Ma to start up therapy again, okay?"

Remus's eyes are cast downward in deep thought but flick up to meet Roman's when he's touched. "Yeah, I'll- I'll give the moms a call." He looks like he's searching for something and Roman assumes he finds whatever it is when his lips quirk up in a weak smile. "Can you tell Dainty I never meant to scare him? I just- I thought he'd understand it was art."

"Yeah," Roman pulls Remus into a tight hug, groaning a bit as Remus returns it and squeezes just a bit too tightly. "But right now, I think we really need a movie night." He laughs as Remus lets go and shoves past him to go back to the living room.

"Dibs on first movie." Remus calls out.

"Only if you take a gosh darn shower first!" He calls out after him before pulling out his phone and sending a quick text to Patton.

To: My Heart <3

Won't be home until late, Remus and I are having a marathon!

Usually Patton texts back immediately so Roman waits a few moments before figuring he's too busy. He's soon to distracted by movies and his brother to see his darling's texts until he's about to head out for the night anyway.

From: My Heart <3

Okay but come back as soon as you can!

From: My Heart <3

Stay safe please.

From: My Heart <3

I'm assuming you're just having a fun time but text me when you can okay?

From: My Heart <3

Roman please text back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm pretty the cats out of the bag by now so I can be like;
> 
> Roman, honey. Remus wasn't talking about animals, sweetie...
> 
> Also, my dumbass heart: Remus isn't unsympathetic :'( He loves his brother and Dante.  
> My brain, knowing everything he did and will do: No, he's- He's unsympathetic.
> 
> I'd also like to say that there will be no main characters dying, just as a reassurance. Dante will describe a gorey scene that he witnessed in choppy panicked detail but I really can't kill anyone(unless in the past tense)


	8. Chapter 8

Virgil is just coming downstairs, he's been awake for a while but it takes quite a bit to force himself to leave the warmth of his bed. He comes downstairs just as Roman is slipping on his shoes but his husband stops at seeing him and smiles.

"A little early for our resident vampire to be up." Roman teases and comes up to him, Logan would be upset at Roman wearing his shoes inside the house but Virgil is no snitch.

"Gets boring with no one to lay with and I could smell something good," Virgil mumbles and rubs the sleep from his eyes, pausing as Roman leans down to press a kiss on his cheek. "Where's Pat and Dante?" There's a tray of fresh gingerbread men on the table and a plate with a few on the stand near the door that Roman was probably taking but no Patton in sight.

"Impromptu shopping trip," Roman explains with a slightly guilty expression, cluing Virgil in that there's more that happened but he chooses not to push the topic. "Patton prepared the ingredients for me to bake before leaving, wants to get Dante more clothes to wear."

Virgil snickers at that. "He has quite a bit of clothes, they just all look the same." But it's probably a good thing to get his little brother out of the house, the guy has been hiding inside the whole time and only rarely being talked into the backyard.

"Man lives like a cartoon character, I can respect that." Roman leans to kiss Virgil's nose, making him scrunch his face. "I'm going to spend the afternoon with Remus, maybe I can find out what happened."

"Roman," Virgil warns, a protective spark lighting up in his chest. "Don't push things."

"I'm not!" Roman raises his hands in a placating gesture. "I already got this talk from Patton, I just-" He struggles with his words for a moment. "Remus doesn't have much, you know? This has to be hitting him hard and I need to be there for him even if I'm also supporting Dante staying away from him? This situation is complicated."

Virgil lets out a long sigh and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, it kinda is." Remus has always freaked him out, something in the way the man looked at him that makes him nervous but Virgil can guess now that maybe it was because Remus knew him and Dante were related. "I hope he's- he's okay as he can be." This would be so much easier if Virgil could just hate Dante's ex but he can't without hating Roman's brother.

"I'm sure it'll be okay." Roman offers a soft smile. "My brother had been through many challenges and has always come out on top a better man. It won't be easy being on both sides but I have faith."

It's easy to believe in Roman when he talks so grand but Virgil knows this is just as weird for his husband too. "Remus has support to lean on and Dante knows how to handle himself, they'll both be fine." Virgil isn't sure he actually believes it but it seems to relieve a little bit of the weight on Roman's shoulders.

"I better be on my way, love but I'll be back before supper." Roman gives one last kiss before turning on his heel to head out.

"Stay safe, don't die." Virgil calls out just before Roman slips out the door.

It's not long after that the door opens again.

Dante didn't mean to spill everything on Patton, he just wanted to see what to do from someone else's point of view but instead, his crumbled and gave far too much information and now Patton seems almost as nervous as he is.

The ride back to the house is rough, Patton had a hard time letting go and everything in Dante wanted to keep clinging on but they couldn't stay on the side of the street forever.

When they arrived home Dante didn't wait up, he immediately went inside without waiting and intended on hiding in the guest bedroom until it didn't feel like there was something pushing down on his chest but as he sprinted through the door, he nearly toppled over Virgil who was crossing from the kitchen to the living room.

"Oh shit!" Virgil exclaims as he barely manages to catch both himself and Dante "Jesus, don't run in the- uh..." He trails off as Dante hears Patton come in and close the door that Dante just swung open, he can only imagine how they looked. Patton walking in like he just saw a ghost and Dante may as well have actually seen one. "What happened?"

Dante tries to pull away but Virgil keeps a solid grip on his arm. "Nothing happened, let go of me." He can't do this twice, he already broke down on Virgil yesterday and he doubts that this conversation can be twisted into a lighter note.

"Dee-" Patton tries but Dante shakes his head.

"I can't." He reaches up and grasps onto his brother's sleeves, gripping the soft fabric like a lifeline. "I'll have to choose and I can't." He can't do this right now.

"I think you have to, buddy." Patton comes closer, Dante doesn't need to look at him to know.

Virgil's hold keeps him from escaping so all Dante can do is shrink forward and hide against his brother's chest, hoping that if he presses into him enough that he'll be able to disappear. "He doesn't have to do anything." Virgil tries to defend him and he'll admit that he can almost relax when Virge puts a hand on the back of his neck to hold him closer.

"I- Virgil, I think he really has to." Patton sounds desperate behind him. "He won't tell me what happened but it sounds really bad, police should be involved bad."

Dante shouldn't have said anything, should have ignored the nagging in the back of his head because now he has to deal with this and he's not ready for it. All he can do is shake his head and try to keep himself grounded, Virgil's shirt is a dark purple and Dante can feel the warmth of his skin through it, his brother smells like laundry detergent and some cheap cologne.

There's no gross red-brown or the smell of iron in the air. He's with his brother, he can't process anything that Virgil's saying but he can feel the vibrations in his chest as he and Patton speak over his head.

Dante stops paying attention to what's going on around him, at some point he briefly recognizes he's being lead to sit down on the couch but he just keeps his grip on his brother until and lets himself get lost in a haziness that takes over him.

He doesn't realize how long it's been when he smells something disgustingly floral, he's holding something glass in his hands and it takes far too long for him to look down at the scented candle he's holding in his lap. It's unlit but the smell is strong enough that it doesn't need to be.

"-not replying!" Dante makes out a frantic voice.

"Calm down, Remus has no reason to hurt Roman." A low voice reassures them. "If anything, Roman is going to be supportive of Remus." Logan. The voice is Logan's.

Dante can feel the weight of a thick blanket around him and Virgil, who he appears to be curled up against. Virgil still has his arms wrapped around Dante, keeping the smaller man close. Dante's head is fuzzy, he thinks he must have passed out or something but he's not entirely sure.

"I know, I know. He's never hurt Roman before but Dante is terrified of something, Logan!" Patton's voice rings in his ears. "Roman could be in danger!" It's too loud.

"Patton stop yelling," Virgil grumbles like he can read his mind. "Roman grew up with Remus, he knows how to handle his twin. He probably really is just watching movies or something?" Virgil's leg is bouncing with pent up energy, giving away that he's not quite as confident about that as he sounds.

Dante takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly before sitting up, dumping the lavender candle onto Virgil's lap like it offended him. "What happened?" He asks, rubbing his eyes in hopes of waking up more.

Whatever conversation they were having ends abruptly. "Come to join us in the land of the living, hm?" Virgil still has his hand on the back of Dante's neck, giving him a warm weight to focus on.

Logan enters his sight next, kneeling in front of the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Dante mumbles. It takes a second to click, to notice how it's a bit darker outside than before, still daylight but it was just after noon when he and Patton came home and the sun now rests on the opposite side of the house. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Oh, kiddo." And there's Patton, hovering a few feet away from him with teary eyes. "You just zoned out, I-I'm sorry I pushed you. I shouldn't have tried to-"

"Patton, please." Logan cuts off before Patton continues to babble far too many apologies. "Dante, can you explain to me what you just experienced?"

Dante blinks slowly, his head still feeling fuzzy. "I'm... Not entirely sure." He moves to sit up slowly, Virgil's hand moving to his back to give him some support. "What time is it?" It was just noon, wasn't it?

"Just after five." Logan provides. "I don't want to add any more stress to you Dante but I need to ask you something about Remus." The smaller man's breathe hitches at the name, remembering what Patton was trying to get him to admit before he entered that haze. "I need to know if Roman is in danger around Remus?"

Dante is hesitant to answer that. He couldn't see any reason why Remus would hurt Roman but it's not like he understood why Remus had hurt anyone. When he glances at Patton, Patton who's clutching his phone and looks on the verge of tears, he knows he can't just be honest. "No, why would he hurt his brother?" It's possible, Dante tries to justify. Roman's instinct was to immediately defend his brother, why would Remus hurt the one person on his side?

Patton lets out a breath, like Dante's word alone was law. "Ro's not answering his phone, I just- I didn't know if I should be worried."

"Roman doesn't check his phone while watching movies, there's no reason to assume the worst just yet." Logan stands up and moves over to Patton, guiding his partner over to sit on the cough a little bit away from Dante.

Virgil isn't as easily fooled though, despite the fact he was just trying to comfort Patton. It's not that simple, Patton doesn't just come in and explain what Dante said to him while his little brother dissociates on the couch, not even recognizing when Logan came home two hours ago to help them.

"C'mon." He lightly tugs on Dante's arm, getting the smaller sibling to stand and follow him outside to get him some air. Dante follows without issue, still looking out of it but much more aware of his surroundings at least. "I'm going to need to know what Remus did," Virgil says firmly as he sits them down on the step. "Not right now, just try to ground yourself right now but I need to know if my family is in danger."

Dante only nods, slouching in on himself as he seems to just stare at his hands.

"That includes you," Virgil adds. "I need to be able to protect you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi, i hope you call are ready


	9. Chapter 9

When Roman calls Patton, Patton nearly cries on the phone at his assurance that he's okay.

Remus gave him a weird look that Roman has never really seen before on his brother's face at how worried Patton was but Remus didn't say anything on it as Roman gave him a quiet "I'll tell you later." Before he heads out of the house and to his car.

"Yes, I'm okay." "I promise." "I'm coming home right now." "I'm not hurt." "I'm right around the corner." "I'll be inside in a second."

Roman kept reassuring his heart until he pulled into the driveway, seeing Virgil and Dante sitting on the front steps. He was given no explanation for Patton's panic beside Logan(who should still be at work but apparently isn't) telling him that they'll talk about it when they get home.

"Yes, I love you. I'll be right inside to embrace you but I'm going to hang up now." Roman promises a few more times before Patton seems okay enough to hang up and Roman steps out of his car and hurries up the steps.

He only pauses briefly as Virgil stands up to give him a quick but tight hug. "Go inside, Patton's more anxious than me for once," Virgil says before sitting back down with Dante who didn't even move to look at him.

"Of course, love you." He gives his dark Knight a small peck on the lips before heading inside, rushing to kick off his shoes and head into the living room where not a moment is wasted before Patton has flung himself into his prince's arms. "I got you, I'm here." Roman sinks to his knees, pressing kisses to the top of his husband's head.

He glances up at Logan who remains seated on the couch, his darling nerd much calmer but Roman can see the relief in his eyes. Roman wants to ask what happened but Patton's clinging onto him like he'll disappear so he figures that his questions can wait for a little bit.

It's quite a few minutes before Patton calms down, grip becoming less desperate. "I'm sorry, just- from what Dante said, I got so scared." Patton apologizes while still sitting in his lap.

Roman chooses to put a pin in that, he'd very much like to know whatever Dante had said to have scared his sweetheart so badly. "I'm okay, your prince could never be defeated when he has his beloveds to return home to." But Patton's far more important at the moment.

It's a little awkward, maneuvering Patton up until Roman can slip his arms under his husband and lift him up. Patton's laughter is worth his wounded pride when he almost tips over while trying to stand while carrying his beloved heart. He startles another laugh out of Patton when he flops them both down onto the couch next to Logan, settling Patton on his lap and reaching out to drag Logan to lean against him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Logan says softly. "I'm afraid I haven't got much of an explanation either but it doesn't seem to be anything good."

Roman feels Patton hug him, squeezing him tightly before pulling back enough to speak. "Ro, I think Remus really hurt someone. The way Dante sounded- it kinda seems like he..." Patton trails off, looking down and fiddling with his sleeves.

Roman lets out a long sigh. "Remus didn't hurt a person." He assures his heart. "He just- Remus has some issues but he'd never hurt a person."

"Dante said-"

"It was just a bird, Patty." Roman tries his best to keep his irritation in check. Dante surely didn't mean to imply things about Remus, the guy is just scared. If Roman wasn't used to Remus, he'd have been terrified too. "Remus doesn't always understand empathy and he killed a bird for his 'Art.' It's still bad, I know but Remus isn't going to hurt me or anyone. He even agreed to get therapy again for those thoughts!"

Patton immediately looks pale, shifting to sit up more with an ever-growing concerned look. "Ro, honey. Dante said it was a-"

Roman practically growls. "I don't care what Dante said." He huffs out before lifting Patton off him(gently, of course. Even as angry as he is, that's no excuse for any sort of rough treatment of his loved ones.) and standing up. "Remus is scary sometimes, I get that! I really do! But he's not some psychopath, Patton! You've worked with the kids in the theater with him, you've sat beside him when he comes to support every one of my performances, just this morning you were encouraging me to go help him!"

Roman shouldn't be yelling, he knows he'll regret it later with how Logan's eyes harden and Patton's filled with guilt. "Are you really telling me that some random guy just changed all that?! I know Dante is scared, I would be too but Remus is not evil!"

"Roman." Roman spins around to see Virgil, standing in the entrance of the living room with Dante holding onto his sleeve. "Calm the fuck down."

"I- nnh" Roman cuts off his argument before it starts, raising his hand to bite his finger. He's doing his best not to glare at the two of them, none of this is really anyone's fault. "All this over a fucking bird." He mutters under his breath but apparently it's loud enough because he sees how Dante suddenly tenses.

"What did he-" Dante struggles with his voice, practically hiding behind Virgil. "It wasn't a bird." He finally forces out, staring at the floor with foggy eyes. "She wasn't a bird."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two in a row, babeee.
> 
> This one cuts off short because the next chapter... well, read the warnings on it


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, warning for this chapter.
> 
> Dante relives what he saw in the brackets, there are descriptions of a dead body, rotting, blood, gore. I personally don't think it's too detailed but please be careful when reading

"What do you mean, 'she' wasn't a bird?" Roman's voice demands, frantic and angry.

_(Dante barely hears it, Remus excitedly pulls him forward and he can hear the buzzing of flies. Dante was kinda nervous entering an alleyway with everything that's been on the news lately but Remus is with him and knows where he's going so he doesn't voice his concern.)_

"She wasn't-" Dante tries again, his words feel thick and impossible to voice. "I-I don't know how long she'd been there."

Logan stands from the couch but Dante doesn't look up. "Dante, we need you to be clear with what you saw." Logan's voice is calm and concerned, shushing Roman when the man tries to speak again.

_(Dante smells it before he sees it but Remus seems unbothered by the scent. "No one's walking the back alleys to find it which sucks but at least I can show you before it gets taken down." Dante assumed Remus was out spray painting again and rolled his eyes. It smells horrible... But that's just the trash, right?)_

"They only- they just found her the other day-" Dante babbles that out, finding the aftermath much easier to say than the actual scene. "It- it must have been- she was rotting already."

_(What's in front of Dante doesn't process as a person at first, his brain trying to tell him it's literally anything else but it's hard to deny the woman's lifeless eyes right in front him.)_

"He called it- her arms-"

_(Her arms were pinned wide open to the wall, there are slashes on her arms from her wrists. The blood had long since dried but it stained the wall where it poured down to give the appearance of horrible red-brown wings. "The bird" Remus called her.)_

"The news," Logan whispers. "It was on the news." Dante remembers the night Logan came in, spoke to him about reconnecting with Virgil like he wasn't hiding the murder that was shown on the TV screen.

_(It smells horrible. Dante's mind clings onto that once thought like nothing else in front of him it worth his time. "Isn't she beautiful?" Remus asks, unaware of how his eyes are watering. He's proud of his artwork, he expects his Dainty to be proud of it too.)_

"What was on the news?" Roman speaks again, this time his voice is much more hesitant and quiet. "It's not- This all sounds bad but he- Dante, you don't mean it like that." Roman looks at him, now more scared than ever. "Remus isn't like that."

_(It smells horrible. "I love it." Dante says, too frightened to give much more of a response. The way Remus smiles, it's the same way he does when Dante gives him gifts, like the smaller man just pulled the sun from the sky for him. Dante usually loves that smile but now...)_

Dante just shakes his head and presses against Virgil's side, the movement seems to shock Virgil out of whatever shock he was in as his older brother turns to face him. "Okay, it's going to be okay." Virgil tries to assure before looking to Logan. "What- what do we do?"

"We need to contact the police," Logan answers automatically. "If Remus is really-"

"If!" Roman cuts him off, clinging onto that one lifeline. "We don't really know what- it could have been anything! Dante's not exactly clear and so maybe you saw something on the news, it doesn't mean- You can't actually think that Remus would-" Roman's eyes water with tears, looking between them all desperately.

Patton finally comes up, gently wrapping his arms around Roman's. "Sweetie, let's go upstairs, okay?" Patton speaks gently, pulling Roman away from the group. "It's going to be okay." He reassures as he heads up the stairs with Roman, leaving Dante with Virgil and Logan.

"Okay." Virgil grips onto Dante's shoulders. "Yes or no, did Remus- did he kill someone?" Virgil keeps his voice even, trying to stay calm as he hits Dante with the most dreaded question.

Dante doesn't want to answer, if he answers then it's real and he has to make a choice but he supposes that choice is no longer his anymore. If he doesn't say anything then Virgil or his husbands might. "Yes." No matter how he tries to deny it now, he gave too much away and those dead eyes are staring him in the face now.

Dante looks down at his gloves as he hears Virgil mutters curses above him, he doesn't want to take them off but just looking at them makes him feel sick to his stomach. What kind of monster is he to have put this off for so long? Remus could very well have killed another person and it would be Dante's fault for not having done anything, he's sure even an anonymous tip to the police would have been better than running to hide behind estranged family.

"I'll go pack an overnight bag. Dante will likely be held up at the station for a while." Logan speaks after a moment, hesitantly hovering over the smaller man before taking a step back and heading towards the stairs. "I should check on Roman and Patton too, give them the option to stay home if they want to."

Virgil looks between Logan and his little brother. "They probably won't want too." Dante envies that predictably, how Virgil can confidently understand his husbands.

"I know but do it anyway, You stay with Dante." Logan promises before heading up the stairs to the bedrooms.

This leaves Dante and Virgil alone, in a silence that feels suffocating. "I'm sorry." Dante chokes out, the apology spills from him before he can even recognize what he's sorry for.

Virgil stiffens, startled by Dante breaking the quiet. "For what?" The elder brother asks and Dante only shakes his head, there's no way that Virgil couldn't recognize how he's made literally every wrong choice. "Unless you helped murder- ah, bad joke right now. It's not your fault, is what I mean."

Dante doesn't understand how Virgil can say that. "Accessory after the fact." He says instead because laws are much easier to quote then to admit that he endangered people's lives, that he risked Roman's life on an empty reassurance. "I didn't- I didn't report Rem- I didn't turn him in, I actively hid his crime." There's a much more elegant way of putting it but speaking doesn't seem to come easy to him at the moment.

"That's-" Virgil sighs. "You saw something traumatic, you panicked." His brother tries to justify his actions, his grip on Dante's shoulders remains firm and grounding. "There has to be exceptions. Fuck, I know the least about laws here." He grumbles the last part which manages to get a weak chuckle from Dante.

"I suppose it depends on what they'll accept." Dante could argue that he was in shock, which he's not sure isn't the truth so if he does go in now, with a good lawyer he could probably have a decent defense for himself. "But if someone died because I-" Dante might be able to get away with it but how could he live with that?

"We'll work it out." Virgil promises as he pulls Dante into a tight hug that Dante can't help but lean into. The younger brother gets the feeling that neither of them really think it'll all be okay but the comfort can help Dante pretend for a bit.

Unfortunately, reality crashes in when the front door opens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disappear for a few days and then shoves three chapters in a row at you, this is gonna be fun.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We got a gun warning now and kidnapping as been added to the tags, be careful friends

Dante is forcibly shoved behind Virgil as his brother spins around to face the entrance to the living room. The front door doesn't close behind the heavy footsteps that make there way down the hall, it only takes a few seconds but it feels like hours before the intruder to peek their head into the living.

"Oh, good." Remus's voice almost seems to echo through the room as he steps through the entrance. "You're right here." Dante feels himself freeze, Remus looks right at him and completely ignores Virgil. "C'mon, Dainty. We need to have a talk."

Thankfully, Dante doesn't need to speak as Virgil straightens his posture. "Get out." His older brother all but growls. "You're not going anywhere near my family."

"Hmm," Remus hums. "See, I wasn't really talking to you, Virge." Remus appears way too calm for this situation. "Dante, bumblebee. We can talk about this, right?"

The man seems genuine, Remus's voice is soft and he ignores Virgil to keep that gaze on Dante. "Talk about what you did?!" Virgil spits out, taking a step back and keeping Dante firmly behind him. "The others are upstairs, get out."

"Ah," Remus deflates a little. "Yeah, I figured with Patton freaking on the phone that you probably said something." Remus reaches behind his back. "I-I get it, I shouldn't have showed you. I should of known you'd get scared but you know that I'd never hurt you right? Dante, please. I'll do anything for you, I love you so much." Remus pleads, looking desperate as he takes another step forward.

"Anything?" Dante asks in a shaky voice.

"Don't." Virgil growls at him but he ignores it to look at his boyfriend.

"Of course, anything you want." Remus smiles and opens his arms like he expects Dante to just come right to him. "I need you more than I need air, anything you want."

Dante steps out from behind his brother, only slightly as Virgil raises his arm to block his path. "Confess to the police about what you did." He demands, hardening his gaze to meet Remus's eyes. "Turn yourself in and I'll stay with you every step of the way, I'll help you in any way I can if you do that."

Remus flinches back and his expression drops. "You- You know I can't do that. Dainty, they'd tear me away from you." He goes to reach forward but freezes as Dante takes a step back behind his older brother. "You can't mean that."

"It's- that is my ultimatum. Turn yourself over to the police and I'll still love you or don't and I'll-" It hurts. It shouldn't hurt that much to say to a murderer but Dante keeps his expression schooled and Virgil thankfully stays silent, letting Dante keep this small bit of control. "I want nothing to do with you."

"You don't mean that," Remus says a bit more firmly, an edge to his voice that makes Virgil even tenser. "I know you love me. You tried to hide me even when you're scared of me. You don't-" A flurry of emotions flicker across Remus's eyes, fear, anger, desperation. "You don't have to worry about it anymore, we can leave these assholes behind! We can run away together! I'd never hurt you, you know that. You have to know that."

Remus's smile is borderline frantic, his one arm still folded behind his back. "I-" Dante doesn't know how to deescalate this situation. "Please, Remus." Don't make him choose, it'll break him. For once in his life, can't a choice come easy?

Of course, this is the moment that Logan comes down the stairs. The man freezes halfway down as he sees who is standing in the hallway. Unfortunately, Remus notices him just as quickly and finally pulls his hand from his back.

"Fine, fine, we can do this the fun way." Remus points a gun at Virgil, keeping it level with his head. "I love Roman so I don't really want to hurt you two." Remus flickers his gaze between Logan and Virgil. "But I'll be honest here, I don't give a shit about you guys." Remus's smile grows a bit more manic. "I figure you'll probably go to the police after this anyway, so maybe I should really give you a reason to call 911."

"Remus." Logan raises his hands in a pacifying gesture as the man spins to point the gun at him. "I understand that you love Dante very much."

"Logan, shut up!" Virgil hisses but flinches back as the weapon is pointed back at him.

"You're in control here, we can't do anything to stop you from you want." Logan cautiously takes a step down the stairs but Remus keeps his eyes on Virgil rather than him. "Look at what your doing, is this really what you want?"

Dante feels the air in his lungs freeze as Remus shifts his gaze from Virgil and locks onto Dante. He almost starts to hesitate, Dante realizes and slowly raises his own hands to mirror Logan's. "Darling," He says softly, keeping eye contact despite the terror growing in his chest. "I know you- you're probably scared." A lie, he couldn't imagine Remus being scared. Remus is never scared, he's reckless and uncaring of danger or opinions and it was once something Dante had admired about him. "I'm scared too but it's going to be okay."

Sympathy works though, Remus lowers his gun just a bit. "I don't want to lose you." Remus says just above a whisper but it's enough to send a knife through Dante's heart.

It hurts. "You don't have to." Dante has never actually seen Remus cry before, nothing has really ever affected his boyfriend like water on a duck's back so seeing him look so hurt and desperate breaks his heart. Dante has to remind himself that this isn't his boyfriend anymore, that this man has hurt people and will hurt his brother to get at him. "Put the gun down, honey. We can- we can talk, just us but I need you to put the gun down."

It's tense and quiet as no one says anything, Remus keeps staring into him and Dante does his best not to crack under the pressure of the look Remus gives him. The man doesn't drop the gun but he lowers it enough that it's not pointing at any of them which makes it a little easier to breathe.

It doesn't even register that Virgil moves until the gun fires.

Dante freezes as Virgil charges Remus and knocks them both to the ground, the bullet is embedded in the floor just a few feet from Dante. His head goes blank seeing his brother wrestle Remus for something that could very well kill him, he should do something, he should help in some way but he remains frozen.

Dante is stuck as Remus grabs Virgil by his hair and slams his head into the floor.

Once, twice, three times before he's yanked away from his older brother. Later, Dante will recognize that it was Roman who rushed past a just as frozen as him Logan to kick his twin off Virgil but right now all Dante can see is the red pooling around his brother's head.

Virgil doesn't get back up.

Dante numbly steps towards where Virgil's limp body lays.

Dante has tunnel vision.

Dante can't tell if Virgil's breathing under his hoodie.

Did Remus kill his brother?

The thought alone breaks something in him.

He's quite literally yanked from his thoughts, a hand grabs too tightly around his bicep and tugs him back against the taller man's chest. It takes a second for Dante to feel the metal tucked under his chin, it forces his head to tilt back slightly and he's pulled backward.

Remus has a gun to his head.

Dante figures this must be in shock because he's not as scared as he should be, at least not about a bullet in his head.

Virgil's still on the floor behind Roman who looks angry and scared and helpless as Remus tugs him towards the door.

Patton's standing at the bottom of the stairs looking on in horror as Logan is next to Virgil, good. Logan would know what to do, he can help Virgil.

"Close the door." Remus hisses in his ear as they path the doorframe as he grabs a set of keys from the wall, Dante reaches to the handle and slowly closes the door in front of him and thus separating him from the others.

Remus lowers the gun from under his chin and drags him down the steps and to the driveway, unlocking Roman's car and shoving him in the back seat and slamming the door shut on him and takes his spot in the driver's seat.

"I'll handle everything," Remus says more to himself then Dante as he puts the keys in the ignition and locks the doors. "They'll be too busy with emo to care about you anyway, we'll be long gone before anyone can stop us."

Dante honestly hopes that Remus is right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a much lighter note, I wanted to share that the folder I write this fic in is called "Murder my dude" which is pretty fun.
> 
> I was honestly debating this moment for so long because a part of me thought it be super interesting to have Remus actually turn himself in to keep Dante but that plays more into my urge my stupid heart has to make Remus sympathetic but like, shut up heart, we're burning this place to the ground.
> 
> Alternately, Remus could have been like "Yeah, okay. I'll turn myself in but Dainty baby, come with me." and Dante, the absolute Moron that he is would have been like "yeah sure" and gotten kidnapped that way but there's no way Virgil would let him be any sort of alone with Remus


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, very brief mentions of suicide and discussion of murder

Remus is agitated, he taps his fingers against the steering wheel and keeps flicking his gaze between the road and the rearview mirror to look at Dante. They stick to back roads and Remus gets tense when he hears a siren a few blocks away.

Remus is still obeying traffic laws which could give Dante a chance to get away, just by eyeing the door he could tell that he could just flick open the lock and get out but Remus seems to notice where he's looking.

"If you leave this car, I will shoot the nearest person to us." Remus looks at him through the mirror. "Just stay- stay with me and I won't hurt anyone," Dante says nothing but pointedly looks away, unfortunately resigning himself to not attempting escape just yet. "I know you're upset but-" Remus puts on a smile, that endearing crooked grin that makes Dante feel sick. "But I got this! We'll just hide out for a bit after we leave the city, maybe steal a different car and go- go somewhere."

"Is that your plan?" Dante finally speaks, he keeps the fabric of his blazer in a death grip as he tries to keep himself from choking. "Leave the city, hide, go somewhere?" Dante can't show weakness now and doesn't have to worry about anyone else just yet. "They're going to be looking for us, Remus. Where do you plan on going? Do you even have any money? There's no way to pull money from my bank without it being tracked."

Remus lets out a humorless chuckle. "Yeah, we're a little fucked." He meets Dante's eyes in the mirror. "Don't suppose you're up for a murder-suicide? I could drive us off that big bridge downtown, completely trash Roman's car too." Remus giggles and Dante can feel his heart in his throat. "That's a- that's a joke, Dainty," Remus mumbles, apparently noticing his distress.

Dante doesn't know if he believes that anymore. He wishes he could snap that out, spit barbed words in defense but the lump in his throat doesn't leave and he finds himself saying nothing instead, the silence only irritates Remus further though.

"It's just a joke." He reaffirms in a harsher tone but quickly takes a breath and tries to speak more softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I didn't hurt anyone important, just some homeless people. They-" Remus snickers. "They haven't even identified The Bull yet, they're just some nobodies."

Dante feels like he might get sick, he can still smell it, rot and copper. "You hurt Virgil." He looks out the window and counts the street lamps.

"Who cares about Virgil."

"I do."

Remus lets out a huff. "This is why I never let you meet Roman, you don't need your family. You hate them, remember?"

"So you did know who Virgil was." Dante had sort of known that Remus was hiding Virgil from him but the confirmation still hurts.

"Well, duh. He looks like you if we slapped you on the rack." How many people did Remus keep away from him? "Wish I knew you knew where he lived, would have come get you before this got all messy."

Virgil laid limp on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. "Messy." Dante repeats.

In his peripheral Dante sees Remus get twitchy, flexing his hands on the steering wheel and turning his head to glance at him. "He's-" Remus hesitates. "Virge is probably fine, I wasn't trying to-" He makes a vague gesture with his hand. "Head wounds bleed a lot even with small cuts, probably just got a concussion at worst. I love Roman, I didn't want to hurt his boy toys. It was supposed- ah, fuck."

Remus swerves the car into an alleyway, sirens are blaring loudly nearby but Dante doesn't get much time to hope as they seem to go past where the two of them wait. Remus makes them sit there for a solid couple of minutes before pulling into reverse and getting back into the road.

"Maybe we can break into my ma's cabin for a while," Remus says like they weren't just hiding from the police. "Rough it for a bit, I can go hunting again. It's been way too long since I've last gut a deer, remember that necklace I gave you with the teeth?" Remus grins at him but it fades as Dante keeps his gaze out the window, refusing to acknowledge him. "I know you didn't like it, it was really funny watching you wear it for me anyway." Dante swallows the lump in his throat, wearing the necklace hasn't been so bad after he had made sure the teeth were probably cleaned. "I can make you another one since most of our shit got left behind."

Dante can not believe how far Remus is getting without much issue. This shouldn't be happening, the others would have called for help immediately for Virgil, there's no way a stolen car should be turning on the highway with no issues.

"Mom wouldn't let me try spearfishing, she always got nervous around the water after that one time I pushed Roman into the river when we were kids." Remus chuckles. "Weird actually saying Ro's name to you, didn't know if you knew who Virge married or not so I always avoided it." Remus just keeps talking, he rambles about the cabin and how he used to torment Roman and his parents. Remus goes on about the area and ideas for what they can do there.

Dante doesn't even know what to think, Remus keeps talking like this is a fun road trip they're taking and it makes everything feel so surreal. "Stop." He finally chokes out, interrupting Remus mid-sentence about whatever. Remus kidnapped him, Remus killed someone and showed it to him, Remus threatened them with a gun, Remus smashed Virgil's head into the floor. "This isn't- You can't just ignore what's happening right now." How can this actually be happening?

"I can't, can I?" Remus hums.

"No. You- No!" Dante is just sitting in the back seat of Roman's stolen car, listening to Remus go on about camping. "You killed-"

"I killed someone, multiple someones." Remus continues. "I found people that had no connections, no family that would miss them, not many that would come in to identify them." Remus meets Dante's eyes in the review mirror, he squints with a wide smile. "I found you."

Dante feels his heart freeze. "Stop."

"I found you, drinking alone in a bar. All sly smiles and lonely eyes, you just let me right in!" The murderer giggles. "You were almost my first. Let's be honest here, Dainty. The only reason you'd be noticed missing is if you stopped going to work, do you think they would have reported you missing or would they just assumed you bailed? I know no one likes you there, maybe they would have been happy-"

"That's not true." His voice comes out weaker then he intends. Remus's words sting, even if he can recognize manipulative behavior. "I'm not friends with them but they wouldn't have been happy for me to fucking die."

"Well, not anymore since you stopped being such a bitch but back then they did," Remus says so casually. Has he always sounded like this? It always felt like Remus always had his back, did he somehow miss this in his boyfriend? "But that's off-topic. I saw you and thought that you would be perfect." The taller man sighs. "You are perfect, so perfect."

"Stop," Dante says again. He didn't want to hear any of this, whatever image of Remus he had built in his head is shattering. "Stop talking like-" He covers his mouth, biting his tongue and clenching his eyes shut to fight back the tears.

"I couldn't hurt you." Remus forgets his own strength at times but always tries to be gentle. "You fell asleep on me about two months in and I felt something I never thought I could feel." Remus would do anything for him. "I couldn't let you get away from me." Remus always sided with him, protected him when he felt at his weakest. "I love you, Dante." Remus whispers his name like a prayer.

"This can't- It can't be real." His voice is muffled against his hand but his boyfriend seems to understand him just fine.

"You can pretend it isn't." Dante jumps and blinks his eyes open when a hand touches his knee, Remus's arm bent back as a slightly awkward angle to hold onto him. "We can pretend it didn't happen and we'll figure it out, just us."

"You hurt people." The shorter man pulls his legs to the side, away from Remus's reach. "You hurt my brother. I can't just- just ignore that." Virgil's laying in a puddle of his own blood on the floor.

Dante feels his heart rate pick up as Remus clenches his hand, digging nails into his own palms until he slaps the hand back on the steering wheel and Dante gets a reality check that he's arguing with a serial killer that just confessed to had once wanted to kill him.

But then Remus sighs and drops a little bit of the tension in his body. "Maybe-" He hesitates. "Maybe once we're a bit out, I could call Roman?" Remus offers much to Dante's surprise. "He'll know if Virge is okay. Would that- Would that make you happy?"

Dante swallows the lump in his throat. "Yes." He keeps his eyes out the window, he knew that if he looks at Remus that his heart will fall for again. "That would help."

Dante still loves Remus beneath all the terror. He doesn't want to hurt him or betray him but Dante is making his choice now, even if it's a bit too late.

Dante will not let Remus hurt anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know how far Remus would have actually gotten but like, this is my fanfiction so it doesn't matter; I do what I want.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is fun. It kinda flipflops around because like, Remus just be like that. Trying to be excited about camping with his bf but like, the guy just wants to talk about how he's a murderer and that he kidnapped him and it's putting a real damper on things

**Author's Note:**

> holy fuck you guys, i had to rewrite this first chapter like four times before i was actually happy with it.
> 
> Fucking, hopefully this story stays as short as I plan it and I don't go off the rails with it but honestly, know me, since you know, this was suppose to be a oneshot


End file.
